Bus Rapid Transit Projects Research Articles

Mobility challenges for women: A case study of bus rapid transit Peshawar

In Pakistan, women face significant barriers to urban mobility. This is due to limited access to safe, affordable, and sustainable public transportation, exacerbated by socio-cultural norms and experiences of harassment. Addressing these challenges is crucial for promoting gender equality and unlocking women's potential for growth. This research inspects women's mobility experiences and challenges and proposes potential improvements for bus rapid transit (BRT) Peshawar. Interviews were conducted for data collection, and statistical tools and methods were employed to analyze the results. The most common modes of travel to and from the BRT stations were walk (39%&45%) followed by Taxi/Rickshaw (32%each) and car/bike(15%&9%), respectively. Most users accessed the BRT system within a 3km radius (55%) and typically traveled during the daytime (56% from 6-10 am and 51%from 2-6 pm). The main challenges identified, mainly for the younger users, were harassment faced at stations (66%for 18-30 years and 52%for 31-45 years of age groups, respectively) while on the buses with 54%for <18 years and 56%for 18-30 years of age groups, respectively, with a visual type of harassment in major. The study highlights women's unique mobility challenges with Peshawar BRT. Addressing these issues can boost their education and economic prospects, as a major study sample was comprised of lower-income employees (80% having an income less than 40,000PKR*) and middle-aged students (48%). The findings provide valuable insights for BRT Peshawar and future BRT projects in developing countries. Despite separate seats, challenges persist during peak hours due to the absence of partitions between male and female sections within buses and other BRT amenities.

An Assessment of Accessibility from a Socially Sustainable Urban Mobility Approach in Mass Transit Projects: Contributions from the Northern Central American Triangle

This article aims to address the lack of research on the social dimension of sustainability, also known as social sustainability, in urban mobility projects, primarily in cities of the Global South. It proposes a strategy to partially assess social sustainability, focusing on accessibility, which is one of the key dimensions for conducting such an evaluation. To this end, a comparative analysis of three study cases is conducted in the capital cities of the Northern Central American Triangle (NCAT) before and after the construction of bus rapid transit (BRT) projects between 2000 and 2020. Accessibility is evaluated through equity and spatial efficiency indicators obtained through geographical information system (GIS) modeling, including layers representing transportation networks, populated areas, and locations of basic urban facilities. The result is an unprecedented assessment of accessibility in the NCAT capitals, which shows how the Guatemala City BRT project has improved the city’s social sustainability by reducing access times to basic urban facilities, mainly public health clinics and educational facilities, and narrowing the inequality gap as compared to projects in San Salvador and Tegucigalpa, the other capital cities in the NCAT. Additionally, it is emphasized that this methodology can be replicated in the Global South while considering the scarcity of information and the use of open-source software in the process.

The Significance of Communication in Resolving Disputes: Insights into the Negotiation Process in BRT Project, Peshawar

Negotiation means reaching a mutual consensus with the aim of resolving the disputes with acceptable solutions for all the parties. Negotiation is common in day-to-day affairs, but is of more significance in the areas, like contracts, business deals and domestic problems. The literature shows that negotiation is a communication process and provides a medium for the opposite sides to sit across the table and resolve the disputes and conflicts. Contrary to this, the available literature emphasis more on the decision-making aspect of the negotiation, but lacks discussion on the communication processes, which can in fact make or break a deal, project, or a contract. To address this issue, the aim of this study was to investigate the communication processes in an actual negotiation scenario. For this purpose, the communication processes in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) were studied and 30 interviews were conducted from the project team and the affected persons. Data was analyzed using applications of constructivist grounded theory which leads to the formation of Communication as a major theme of study. The results exhibit that communication serves as a medium for exchange of information and has an integral part in negotiation processes. Meetings, interactions, discussions, and networking emerged as major themes of communication in this study, and it mediates the negotiation process and leads to the resolution of disputes. Therefore, effective communication plays a significant role in negotiation, reaching agreements and resolving disputes. This research studied negotiation and communication in BRT project only. Further studies could analyze the negotiation processes in other projects and scenarios to further elaborate mediation of communication in negotiations.

If you build it, who will come? Exploring the effects of rapid transit on residential movements in Metro Vancouver

As cities across the world embrace the benefits of rapid transit technology and invest in the expansion of existing infrastructure or plan for the introduction of new lines, the differences in both benefits and externalities that bus rapid transit (BRT) and rail rapid transit (RRT) bring remain unclear. This study aimed to address that gap and understand whether there was a distinction in impacts on the residential migration of households in different income and residential tenure groups as the result of BRT and RRT projects. This was achieved by exploring the effects of both modes in the same metropolitan region—metro Vancouver. This study used three BRT and three RRT lines that were in service for all or part of the 20 years spanning 1996 through 2016 to assess the rates of in-movement of households by income in Census Tracts (CTs) within 800 meters (½-mile) of a given rapid line. Our analysis suggested that areas adjacent to the Expo-Millennium RRT Corridor saw fewer in-movers between the 2001 Census and the 2016 Census than the areas without rapid transit infrastructure, while the same was true for the CTs affected by BRT lines and that had a larger than average share of new housing while holding everything else (e.g., housing supply) constant. While we did not find evidence to state that the presence of rapid transit infrastructure disproportionately affected any one of the income groups, our analysis suggested that there were more affluent renters moving in along the RRT and BRT lines. At the same time, the share of low-income renters that moved into areas close to rapid transit lines remained relatively stable. This research added a unique perspective to the debate cities and transport agencies have been experiencing with respect to decisions around the investment into different transport technologies and contributed to the argument for the need to carefully plan and provide rapid transit infrastructure together with affordable and diverse housing options.

Evaluating road work site safety management: A case study of the Amman bus rapid transit project construction

Evaluating road work site safety management: A case study of the Amman bus rapid transit project construction

The effect of bus rapid transit on local home prices

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems have become increasingly common in US cities. BRT stations provide a local amenity by improving transportation options for local residents, but may also represent a local nuisance due to noise or displacement of other road users. We estimate whether BRT is priced into local real estate by studying a recently opened BRT project in Vancouver, Washington. We use a difference-in-difference method with both hedonic and repeat sales estimators to test for a price effect. We estimate a 5%–7% price premium for homes located within a 20 min walk of a BRT station. Overall, BRT generated new real estate value that exceeded the project’s construction costs by a factor of six. We discuss how government could leverage future residential property value increases to fund construction of BRT projects.

Collaborative challenges and barriers when planning and implementing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Lessons from Swedish BRT projects

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to improve the knowledge of collaborative challenges when planning and implementing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Collaborative challenges are here understood as the barriers that may arise in BRT planning and implementation as a consequence of several formally independent actors, occasionally with different interests, participating in the planning. The results are based on an analysis of actor interactions in Swedish BRT projects. These projects are analysed in relation to the state of the art in the research field of collaborative approaches. The results show two main and interrelated collaborative challenges. The first category of challenges concerns difficulties for actors in creating a common understanding of what a BRT system is, the second category concerns details of bus priority measures, e.g. busways, priority at intersections, and how to handle and deal with conflicting interests when removing speed bumps or pedestrian and cycle crossings. In terms of policy is in the early stages of the planning processes. This can be generated by working practices and tools that facilitate agreements on how to handle different interests and trade-offs. BRT guidelines adapted to national transport policy, legal and organisational conditions could function as tools in assisting actor dialogue.

Auto-Oriented Communities in Developing Countries: Bus Rapid Transit Implementation Prospects

Public transportation services often face challenges in middle- and low-income nations from both public acceptance and economic constraints. Jordan is classified as a middle-income country with a population of over 10 million, 4 million of whom live in Amman, the capital. The development and operation of a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Amman city was recently proposed. The BRT project is anticipated to offer a solution to the city’s escalating congestion problem. This study’s objective is to conduct a “before” analysis to identify the variables that affect the willingness of people to use the Amman BRT system. The socioeconomic characteristics and travel habits of individuals were used to model the willingness to use BRT. An online survey was distributed to Amman residents and 238 valid responses were returned. Two popular techniques were utilized: binary logistic regression and Bayesian networks. Ten models were developed: one binary logistic model and nine Bayesian network models. The results of these models were compared based on accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, complexity, and number of selected variables. It was found that Bayesian networks were more effective in modeling willingness to use BRT. Willingness to use BRT was shown to be higher among households without cars, youths, females, and university students, and if there were fewer transfers along the route. It became clear that introducing a new public transportation system is well appreciated, particularly in areas with low income, insufficient existing public transportation services, and where driving a car is the norm.

Assessment of risks affecting the operational activities of the Amman bus rapid transit (BRT) system

In the first decade of the 21st century, bus rapid transit (BRT) became a significant transportation method. However, implementing a BRT system in developing countries involves many risks associated with its operational activities, whether political, technical, occupational, or financial. Therefore, a corresponding risk assessment is required, which consists in identifying, classifying, and analysing all risks in any project at each phase of project development. Most studies show that risk evaluations in the early stages refer to planning and implementation. However, little research has been conducted on the operation phase to determine the importance of studying risks at this phase. The current study aims to analyse risks affecting the main operating activities of Amman BRT system in Jordan. Thus, the risks associated with the Amman BRT project are highlighted by reviewing previous studies, resulting in 45 risk factors classified into five main groups of Amman BRT operational activities, including 17 categories. A survey was carried out by distributing a questionnaire to 177 respondents; 122 were returned, and 115 were accepted for analysis. The collected data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Through analysing the questionnaire, the probability of occurrence and the risk impacts were calculated, yielding the relative importance index for each risk. To validate the analysed risks, external validation was carried out by interviewing seven experts in Amman BRT system operation. The key results obtained indicated eight significant risks affecting the Amman BRT system that need to be considered: fuel price change; work-related stress conditions; violence and harassment at work; accidents in the workplace due to breaking traffic rules; a lack of supporting infrastructure (rainwater drainage, a lack of emergency exits on the bus route); corruption and bribery; the involvement of too many multi-level decision- makers; and contract problems between the operator company and the government, where their relative importance indexes ranging from 20.7 to 15.2. The study contributes to the knowledge of this region of the world on this subject. Specifically, the case of BRTs is rare, and knowing which risks are affecting the main operational activities is critical. For future studies, mitigating these risk factors associated with the Amman BRT system is recommended via proper management.

Barriers to Achieving Sustainability in Highway Construction Projects: The Case of Jordan

Despite the importance of sustainable highway construction projects in achieving sustainable development, unsustainable construction highway projects still prevail in Jordan. Therefore, this article aims to identify barriers affecting sustainability implementation in Jordan’s highway construction projects. These barriers were identified from the previous literature. Questionnaire surveys were developed and distributed to experts to rank the degree of importance of each barrier. Moreover, a case study was assessed to evaluate the sustainability level of highway projects in Jordan. The research found that the sustainability concept should be supported financially to protect the environment by using a legislative framework to implement sustainability principles. There are several barriers to implementing the concept, like the lack of sustainability education, improper communication amongst team members, and the lack of familiarity with the techniques and the necessary skills to employ them properly. The use of sustainability assessment tools is needed to evaluate the sustainability level for highway projects. For the case study, a sustainability assessment tool was applied to the most recent important highway project in Jordan, “Bus Rapid Transit project,” to determine its sustainability level and to show how the barriers affect the implementation of the sustainable highway project and lower the sustainability level in the project.

Cost-Benefit Analysis and Model Preference of Public Transportation in Can Tho City, Vietnam

Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems are cost-effective and efficient transport systems in high-density urban centers. Given the high level of traffic congestion and air pollution in Vietnam, the introduction of BRT is significant due to the ever-growing number of motor vehicles in the country. In this study, we look at the economic viability of BRT in the city of Can Tho. The study adds to the literature on a developing country’s content by calculating the costs and benefits of BRT. A feature of the study is the calculation of the benefits by estimating motorists’ willingness to pay for the shift from motor vehicles to BRT. The results show that the benefits of reducing accident risk, reducing pollution emissions, and avoiding other adverse effects are adequate to offset the costs. Due to its adaptability, BRT is an excellent candidate for consideration in a wide variety of other conventional vehicles. When the local government lacks the financial resources necessary to execute BRT, the choice to invest in BRT may be anchored on the public’s willingness to pay. Therefore, if government implementation seems unfeasible, private partners may engage in its development. This research contributes to the growing literature on implementing BRT projects and the WTP approach by examining the project’s benefits and costs and addressing potential needs.

Smart BRT Management System

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has increasingly become an attractive urban transit alternative in many developing cities due to its cost-effective and flexible implementation. However, it still seems difficult to introduce BRT to these cities because almost all their city structures have been built solely under a road transport development city plan which causes many problems, such as urban sprawl, traffic congestion, and air pollution. This system introduced several strategies to support BRT implementation in developing cities. These proposed strategies were evaluated by applying demand forecasting and emission models to the BRT project plan. It was demonstrated that the proposed strategies could effectively improve BRT ridership, traffic conditions, and air pollution emissions of the entire system. This study could be further extended to include strategy recommendations if a BRT system was introduced to other developing cities

Mind the perception gap: The impact of bus rapid transit infrastructure on travelers’ perceptions of affective subjective well-being

Over the past 20 years, bus rapid transit (BRT) has been increasingly promoted as an affordable way to improve public transit services in cities around the world. In many places, however, BRT projects have faced community opposition for a range of reasons, such as concerns around loss of private transport space and parking, demand for improved pedestrian and cycle infrastructure, and impacts on streetscapes. This research informs the selection of BRT infrastructure options by considering the perspective of travelers’ affective subjective well-being (SWB). Specifically, in a randomized control trial framework, individuals are presented with photo-simulations of various BRT infrastructure alternatives, and report their psychometric indicators of happiness or perceived safety. We test this approach using an urban corridor approximately2 km in lengthin Boston, exploring the impact of 65 different BRT infrastructure alternatives. We find that: (1) compared to regular bus services, a ‘standard BRT’ consisting of a painted bus lane and the addition of a cycle lane significantly enhances SWB; (2) an ‘SWB infrastructure’ option that replaces car parking with improvements for cyclists and pedestrians and adds street amenities further enhances SWB; and, (3) the BRT infrastructure elements most effective in enhancing affective SWB for users of all transport modes are the addition of green spaces, improvement of crosswalks, and provision of more space for pedestrians and cyclists. This study shows the importance, for citizens’ emotional well-being, of moving from a traditional bus-only approach to multi-modal BRT infrastructures. Future research could integrate this technique into actual participatory planning processes to select the most effective BRT infrastructure in corridors of specific interest, in Boston and beyond.

Bus Rapid Transit: A Viable Alternative?

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) presents a significant opportunity for the public transit industry to enhance the set of transportation investment options that can be brought to bear on the mobility problems experienced by urban areas across the country. As new Census data are released, the picture of strong population growth in dispersed patterns, growing congestion levels, and stubbornly modest transit use levels emerges. This paints a compelling picture that merits serious consideration by transportation planners with regard to the full range of transportation investment options available for urban areas.This article addresses several specific characteristics of BRT that differentiate it from other public transit modes and supports the explicit consideration of BRT as an alternative in Major Investment Studies (MIS). Clearly, the high cost of rail transit limits the possible role it can play in urban mobility even under radical changes in modal spending priorities. The pursuit of more moderate costing infrastructure transit options increases the chances of public transit being able to make more meaningful contributions to urban mobility. A key characteristic of BRT is the prospect that it can offer a lower-cost method of providing better performing public transit service (not yet fully verified) that is able to both retain current and attract new customers as well as garner political and taxpayer support. Evidence provided by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) in its recent report on BRT indicated that the BRTprojects reviewed cost less to build than the light rail transit (LRT) projects reviewed, on a per-mile basis. In addition, the GAO also points out that ridership was comparable between the BRT and LRT systems reviewed and that five of the six BRT projects had higher overall system operating speeds than the LRT projects.This article also addresses the definition of BRT and the implications of the various definitions on branding of the mode. An interesting perspective on the BRT branding is offered by looking at it from the perspective of various user groups. In addition, the article explores the prospects of BRT becoming attractive to the public transit industry and with customers, decision-makers, and taxpayers. It continues by addressing certain aspects of BRT that differentiate it from LRT and the comparative impacts on land use by BRT and LRT. The article concludes by offering thoughts regarding the opportunities presented by BRT concept.

Characteristics of Bus Rapid Transit Projects: An Overview

During the previous century the public transit industry has struggled with mode and technology issues. Bus and rail have alternated in primacy as operating conditions and financial necessity have pressured operators to seek more cost-effective means of moving passengers. Federal, state, and local financial resources have been outstripped by candidate rapid transit projects, traffic congestion is a growing problem, and travel patterns are becoming increasingly dispersed. In seeking to fill the gap between conventional bus service and rail projects of all kinds, the transit industry in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has placed renewed emphasis on the development of alternatives that reflect a return to the transportation system management approach. Equipped with new tools for improving operating and management productivity of highway and transit networks, transportation agencies are working cooperatively to simulate exclusive rights-of-way operations in mixed-traffic environments as well as meld the line-haul efficiencies of rail with the distribution flexibility of bus. These efforts are known collectively as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and as with any entity in its infancy, final appearances at maturity are far from certain.

Bus Rapid Transit: An Overview

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is growing in popularity throughout the world. The reasons for this phenomenon include its passenger and developer attractiveness, its high performance and quality, and its ability to be built quickly, incrementally, and economically. BRT also provides sufficient transport capacity to meet demands in many corridors, even in the largest metropolitan regions. In the United States, the development of BRT projects has been spurred by the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) BRT initiative. These projects have been undertaken, in part, because of the imbalance between the demand for “New Starts” funds and available resources.Decisions to make BRT investments should be the result of a planning process that stresses problem solving, addressing needs, and the objective examination of a full range of potential solutions, of which BRT is only one. Good planning practice means matching potential market characteristics with available rights-of-way. BRT involves an integrated system of facilities, services, amenities, operations, and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) improvements that are designed to improve performance, attractiveness to passengers, image, and identity. Because they can be steered as well as guided, BRT vehicles can operate in a wide range of environments without forcing transfers or requiring expensive running way construction over the entire range of their operation. Through this flexibility, BRT can provide one-seat, high-quality transit performance over a geographic range beyond that of dedicated guideways. To the maximum extent practical, the system should transfer the service attributes of rail transit to BRT.Even where implementation of a comprehensive, integrated BRT system is not possible, many of its components can be adapted for use in conventional bus systems with attendant benefits in speed, reliability, and transit image/attractiveness.In summary, BRT is growing in popularity because it can be cost-effective and it works. This article describes BRT concepts and components, traces BRT’s evolution, gives its current status, and outlines some of the findings to date of the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) A-23 project, “Implementation Guidelines for Bus Rapid Transit.”

State and Federal BRT Project Development Procedures: Managing Differences and Project Implementation Delays

Implementing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that is on a State Highway System and is part of the federal New Starts Project Planning and Development Program brings together two traditionally-separate types of transportation implementation projects: the traditional highway construction project and a public transportation project. The project development procedures (PDPs) for each of these types of projects—both of which must at times be followed—sometimes differ and can result in conflicts arising, can contribute to the use of resources that might not otherwise be used, and can create project implementation delays. An investigation was conducted of site-specific BRT projects, initially focusing on California and then extending nationwide, which led to the development of recommendations that, when put into practice, can help BRT project implementers mitigate the impact of having to follow multiple sets of PDPs and help implement the project more efficiently.

Measuring the Accuracy of Bus Rapid Transit Forecasts

The research of Dr. Bent Flyvbjerg in the 1990s and early 2000s showed that urban rail projects often cost more than estimated and carried fewer riders than projected, a troubling trend suggesting that the forecasts for urban rail projects were too optimistic in terms of cost and ridership. Inspired by that research, this analysis seeks to extend that framework to analyze Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). A study of forecast vs. actual costs and ridership was conducted for 19 BRT projects in the United States. From this, it was found that the cost projections for these projects tended to be quite accurate, but ridership projections tended to be quite inaccurate and showed a clear tendency towards an optimism bias. As BRT becomes a more common choice for rapid transit investment in the US, this analysis suggests that current ridership forecasting methods still leave much to be desired.

An Evaluation of Cost Optimization Strategies for BRT Projects in Pakistan

In developing countries like Pakistan, economic instability, improper planning, non-optimal design, delays in construction, and unsustainability during the operations of transportation megaprojects cause an unnecessary burden on the national exchequer. Recently, several Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects have been initiated in Pakistan. The detailed evaluation of the cost and capacity of BRT projects in Pakistan revealed that their cost could have been optimized. This research evaluated the first BRT project in Karachi for potential cost optimization through proper alignment of the BRT. One of the major segments of the Green-Line BRT from Surjani to Nagan was evaluated, which is presently designed as an elevated section. Other possible options such as curb-side, two-way side, and median alignments were explored in detail. The study showed that the cost of this section could have been reduced from the existing USD 75 million to USD 61 million by providing a two-way side aligned or curb-side aligned BRT infrastructure without affecting existing capacity. This case study shows that it is necessary to critically evaluate all the possible options while planning and designing transportation megaprojects.

Interorganizational knowledge sharing barriers and enablers: the case of Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit project

PurposeThe paper aims at identifying knowledge sharing barriers and enablers in an interorganizational setting at different levels of units. For this purpose, the interorganizational setting of Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit project in Pakistan is examined.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts an exploratory single case study approach. The empirical data comprise semi-structured interviews and archival documents. Thematic analysis is used for analyzing the data.FindingsThe findings identify distinct knowledge sharing barriers and enablers at different level of units (individual, team, organizational and interorganizational). Based on the findings, an integrative framework of knowledge sharing barriers, enablers, and levels of units is proposed. Furthermore, the findings provide guidance to managers as the findings show how different knowledge sharing barriers and enablers are important at different levels of units.Originality/valueThis study novelty lies in determining separate sets of knowledge sharing barriers and enablers at different level of units in an interorganizational project. This study contributes to the literature on knowledge sharing by studying an interorganizational project.